Spotlight Memories
by Emerald Lotus
Summary: Haley's Circus comes to Happy Harbor and with it surfaces memories of Robin's past. As he visits the familiar place, will he risk revealing all his secrets that he's tried so hard to keep hidden for the sake of the people he once called family?
1. Chapter 1

"The circus is in town!" Wally yelled as he sped down the hallway toward the common room. His voice echoed off the cave walls, as he made his way to his teammates. Most of the team was sitting around the television watching a movie.

"So?" Superboy said.

"So…we should go," Wally said, stopping in front of them. "It'll be awesome. I haven't been in so long," Wally was nearly bouncing out of his shoes with excitement.

"It might be interesting to see," Kaldur said.

"I would like to go. From what I've heard they sound like a lot of fun," Megan chirped.

"Great, then it's settled. We'll go tomorrow," Wally pulled out some tickets from his pocket and began passing them to the team members. "Where's Rob?"

"Robin is in the gymnasium training," Kaldur answered.

"Cool thanks!" Wally said and zipped out of the room.

He came to the gym door, and stopped. He peeked around the corner and saw that some of the gymnast equipment was set up. Robin was currently on the rings doing flips in the air. Wally had seen him doing it before. It was a pretty impressive show of gymnastic talent to say the least. Then Robin let go of the rings and did a double back flip, landing on the balance beam. As soon as he was on the beam he began cart- wheeling across it, finishing off with a one-handed hand stand. Wally waited until he stopped, not wanting to make him fall, but he stayed like that for well over a minute. Wally was impressed to say the least. That kid had amazing upper body strength. Finally, Robin put his other hand down and did a front flip off the beam, facing Wally at the door.

"Oh hey," he greeted.

"Hey, how long have you been in here?"

Robin glanced at the clock on the wall. "A few hours now."

"Wow."

"Do you need something?" Robin asked, curious.

"Oh yeah, I had a question. The rest of the team and I are going to the circus tomorrow for some fun. I've got a ticket for you. You want to come?" Wally flashed the ticket at him, wagging it up and down.

"No thanks, I'll pass," Robin said, taking a sip from his water bottle.

"What why? It'll be great! It's the really famous Haley's Circus."

"I just don't want to go. You can go without me," Robin gathered his things and quickly left the room, leaving behind a baffled Wally.

Robin sighed once he was beyond Wally's sight. It's not like he didn't want to join his friends, and go and have fun. He really wanted to go to the circus, he missed it, and he was definitely surprised to hear that it was in town. His circus; he missed it so much but he didn't want to risk accidentally revealing something by going with his team. Frustrated, Robin smacked the wall, and continued to his room.

Wally had returned to the team in the living room, and frowned. "I don't understand him sometimes," he muttered as he plopped down on the sofa.

"Who…Robin?" Megan asked.

"Yeah. He doesn't want to go to the circus with us tonight, and he wouldn't give me a reason why," Wally grumbled.

"I'm sure he has his reasons for not wanting to go," Kaldur said.

"I guess so, but he's always so quiet about everything. I just wish he would open up once in a while," Wally replied.

"Robin just left the cave," Superboy said. "I heard the zeta beam teleporter activate."

"What's with him today? Where would he go without telling us?" Wally said, mostly speaking to himself. "I'm going to go see what he's up to," Wally said and ran after him before anyone could stop him.

As he got outside he noticed Robin opening the garage manually from the outside, and take out one of the less conspicuous street bikes. He started it, put his helmet off and sped down the mountain's dirt road towards the small town of Happy Harbor.

Wally followed him, easily managing to keep pace with the motorcycle. He remained far enough away so that Robin wouldn't be able to see him from the rearview mirrors.

"Where are you going?" Wally wondered to himself.

Robin turned and entered the fairgrounds where large tents and food stands were in the final stages of being set up. Robin stopped and parked his bike in the grass, and began to walk toward the center of the grounds. Wally watched utterly confused. The kid would come here by himself when it's closed, but not when the actual show was going on?

Robin walked through the grounds seemingly unnoticed. The workers were too preoccupied with setting up to notice him. Robin was back by the animal pens standing next to the elephants. A five foot tall fence had been set into place to keep the elephants from wandering too far. Robin watched them curiously as they ate. There were two now, but when he was a kid the circus only had one. He had spent much of his free time with the elephant, but now he wasn't even sure if one of these elephants was the one from his past.

"Rob," Wally said, making himself known. Robin turned to him, a serious grimace on his face.

"You followed me," he said. It wasn't a question.

"Well yeah. I was just curious. Why did you come here now, but you won't come with us tomorrow?"

"It's none of your business," Robin said bluntly. "Just go back to the cave."

"Dude, we're supposed to be friends. Don't act like that. You could explain things once in a while, you know."

"I just wanted to check things out by myself." Robin muttered, and turned to leave but out of nowhere he was pulled into the air. Robin yelped in surprise as one of the elephants had lifted him up with its trunk.

"Robin!" Wally shouted. "Don't worry, I'll get you down."

Robin shook his head. "No, it's fine. She's just saying hi," Robin explained. A small, knowing smile was on his lips as he patted the large animal on the trunk. "It's nice to see you too."

Seemingly satisfied, the elephant put Robin back down on the ground, but kept her trunk around his waist. "Come on, I've got to go," he said trying to pull away. But she wouldn't budge. Wally just watched as Robin interacted with the large animal. He was somewhat in awe.

One of the caretakers for the elephants came over. He was an older man, probably in his fifties, balding, and yet he was quite muscular. "Hey now, release him," the man said. The elephant let go, and Robin turned around to face the man. "You know she doesn't normally pick up strangers," the man explained.

"Are you okay?" Wally asked.

"Yeah, fine."

"Sorry about that, son," the caretaker said.

"It's okay. I know Sitka's a good girl."

"How'd you know…"the man looked at Robin, sizing him up for a minute. Robin clapped his hand over his mouth realizing what he had just said. The man smiled. "Little Dicky, is that you?"

Robin tensed at the title he was just called, and mentally scolded himself for letting the elephant's name slip out. Wally knew his name, so that wasn't a problem, but he didn't know anything about his history. This place was going to reveal everything he tried to hide in an instant. But he sighed and answered. "Yes, sir. How are you Mr. Cleary?"

"I'm fine, but how are you doing, son? It's been a few years. I hope you're still practicing, you were one of the best little performers we had here," Mr. Cleary continued giddily.

Robin laughed a short, nervous laugh. "I've been well, and I practice every day."

Wally was watching the conversation trying to piece everything together. Robin, or rather Dick had been a circus performer? That actually made some sense. He had no problem doing tumbles and flips, but he wondered what role he actually had within the circus.

"Good, good. I'm glad to hear that," the older man smiled. Sitka, the elephant tapped Robin on the shoulder again. He patted her trunk. "You know what they say about elephants…they never forget a face." The man chuckled.

"Yeah, I know," Robin smiled.

"So is this one here your friend?" Mr. Cleary asked.

"Oh yeah, this is Wally. We just wanted to check out the circus before the show tomorrow night," Robin explained.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Wally said, raising a hand in greeting.

"Pleased to meet you as well, but I'm sorry to say the show tomorrow night might have to be cancelled. One of our performers got injured this morning during practice, and they were part of the main act and the grand finale," Mr. Cleary said, shaking his head.

"Which act is out?" Robin asked.

Mr. Cleary was about to answer, when his eyes brightened with an idea. "Hey, Dick come with me to see Mr. Haley. Maybe you could help us out, that's if you'd like to."

"Um, I don't know. It's been a while," Robin said looking nervous.

Mr. Cleary put a hand on Robin's shoulder. "Please consider it. If not we'll have to cancel the show here, and we've already sold the tickets."

Robin deflated. He just couldn't say no, this circus was his family at one point. "I guess I could help. I'll have to call my…guardian first though. Can you give me a minute?" Mr. Cleary nodded with a grin and Robin walked away.

Wally followed him. He had a lot of questions he was just dying to ask. "Rob, you worked in a circus?"

"Yes," Robin said taking his cell phone out of his pocket.

"Then why do you have to ask for permission if you used to work here?"

"I'm calling Batman…he needs to know," Robin said, and put the phone to his ear. Before Wally could ask any more questions, Robin began speaking on his cell.

"Hey," Robin began to say. "You probably know this already, but I ran into some old friends down here in Happy Harbor." Robin paused as Batman replied. "Oh…you didn't? Well that makes two of us. Anyway, Haley's Circus is in town. Yes, I'm okay…I think. They want me to help with their performance tomorrow."

Batman probably wasn't very happy to hear that because Robin's face immediately fell as Wally continued to watch the one-sided phone conversation.

"Yes, I know it's risky, but no one knows I'm going to be in it. Yes, my team is going to be there, and I know they might figure some things out, but they don't know I'm here right now," Robin turned to Wally and gave him a look that told him to not say anything.

"I sort of want to do this. And I would appreciate it if I could get your support," Robin said, and then smiled slightly. "Yes, I'll be careful. Okay, thanks."

Robin disconnected the call and placed the small phone back in his pocket. "Haha, he wasn't too happy about the news."

"Why?" Wally asked.

"Well, it's a long story, but it's mostly about the reason why I had to leave the circus. He's just worried," Robin told Wally.

"Why did you leave?" Wally asked.

"I-I can't tell you that. I'm sorry," Robin looked at Wally, and then back towards the circus tents. "It's not something I like to remember."

"Oh, okay. Sorry for bringing it up," Wally said.

Robin began to walk back towards Mr. Cleary and could see Mr. Haley walking out to meet him. Before they reached the two men, Robin spun and stood in front of Wally.

"Can you go back to the cave, please?"

"What? Why? I wanna hang out here at the circus with you," Wally protested.

Robin sighed. "I don't want you to see. It…it will be a surprise for tomorrow when the show starts, okay? Just go back and wait with everyone else, and don't tell them what I'm doing."

Wally shoulders sagged defiantly, but then he stood up straight and nodded. "Fine, I'll go…but only because you asked so nicely," Wally smirked.

"Thanks," Robin replied, and then Wally was gone as he dashed off back to the cave.

Robin finally met up with the two senior circus members, and they began to discuss the evening's events. Robin listened eagerly, yet warily as Mr. Haley described the act he wanted Robin to participate in. Yet by the end of the conversation most of Robin's worry had subsided.

gave a hearty laugh and clapped Robin's shoulder. "Dick, my boy, you're going to be stupendous tomorrow night!"

"Thanks, Mr. Haley."

"Now how about you go get into costume, and head to the big top for rehearsal with Amelia," Mr. Haley said. Robin nodded and ran off the familiar costume trailer to get suited up.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I hope this was semi-interesting to anyone who reads this. I'm probably going to make this a two or three chapter story. So, let me know what you thought of the first chapter. Thanks!<br>**


	2. Chapter 2

This whole ordeal was slightly surreal for Robin. He never expected himself to be back in the position of being a young acrobat. For the longest time all he could do was picture his role as an honor student at a prestigious school, the adopted son of a rich man, or the partner of the legendary Dark Knight. Now he was simply a performer in the circus…if only for a day, and he was okay with that. For a day he could be a Flying Grayson.

Robin stepped out of the costume tent, freshly dressed in a new acrobatic uniform. This one was similar to the one he used to wear, the torso was red but it didn't have any of the gold designs on the chest. The pants and even the shoes were white. The outfit was also tight to his body and his small, yet muscular frame was clearly defined through the fabric. The sleeveless top shaped his biceps where normally his uniform would hide them slightly. He didn't feel uncomfortable though. He was used to the tight fabric of acrobatics.

As Robin began to walk around the fairgrounds towards the big top, he noticed the people around him. Most of them were hired hands to help with the set up, but he did see some familiar faces amongst the crowd. He saw Jerry the knife thrower; he taught Robin how to throw a few times until his mother caught on. Then there was Katie, the horse trainer, Robin used to feed them with her. He smiled happily as he continued to see the familiar faces of the people he was once used to seeing every day. He had definitely missed this lifestyle. Although it was somewhat strange to be walking around in broad daylight, since he was used to hiding in the shadows for so long. That was something he would have to get used to.

After a few minutes of wandering the grounds, Robin finally stood outside the side entrance to the big top. Yet he stopped just outside of it, and looked at the large opening trying to think of his next move. He wanted to go in, but there was something stopping him mentally. Perhaps it was because of the memories he had the last time he had entered through the tent. He knew things were different now, and there was nothing to fear, but still there was a small feeling holding him back. It made him want to explode. Everything around him; the colors, the smells, the faces, it was like he had jumped back five years. He wanted this…for so long he had wished to come back to this place. And now that he was here, he couldn't even go inside because nothing had changed, and it was a little bit overwhelming.

"Excuse me," a light feminine voice startled Robin from his thoughts. Robin turned around to see a young girl who appeared to be only a few years older than him. Her hair was a light shade of brown tied into a tight bun, and she was dressed similarly to him. Yet her uniform held slight differences, her top fanned out at the bottom into pleats, and she had pink where Robin had red. "Are you Richard?"

"Um, yes," He answered.

The girl smiled. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Amelia."

Amelia extended her hand towards Robin. He shook it and quietly replied, "Nice to meet you too."

"It appears that you'll be my partner for the show tomorrow. And from what I've heard you're quite a good acrobat."

"Yeah, I suppose I am. I've been training since the age of three in gymnastics and acrobatics. Although I haven't been around the trapeze in a while," Robin said.

"Wow that is impressive, and you're still so young. How old are you?" She asked.

"I'm thirteen…is that going to be an inconvenience to you?" Robin questioned. He knew this was going to be somewhat difficult because they weren't attuned to each other movements. No matter how trained he was in acrobatics, it was always difficult if you didn't know the person.

"No, I think it will be fine. You look really strong, so I don't think we'll have too many problems. I'm sure we'll be able to make this work. So, do you want to get started?" Amelia smiled and inched toward the tent.

"Sure," Robin said and followed her inside.

After hours of training the sun had set and it was nearing a late hour of the night. At first Robin hadn't noticed the passing in time. He was so caught up in his work, trying to perfect his movements, that he became oblivious to the outside world. It wasn't until Amelia asked to stop did Robin fully realize how long they had been working. After he stopped he finally noticed that his muscles ached and his forearms were a little sore from holding Amelia during practice, but it didn't really bother him. It was a feeling that made him feel good. He was doing something he enjoyed, something he hadn't been able to do in a long time, and so the small pain was worth the price.

"Alright," Amelia said, reaching for her water bottle. "The show is going to be great tomorrow! I can't believe some of the things you can do. It's fantastic."

Robin laughed. "Thanks."

"But I think it's time we call it a night. I'm exhausted," Amelia said, and tried to stifle a yawn.

"Yeah, I need to head back or my friends will start to worry."

"Okay, well then I'll see you tomorrow, but don't forget to come for morning practice," Amelia said.

"Don't worry I won't forget," Robin said. He then waved goodbye to Amelia and left the tent.

Robin proceeded back to the costume tent to change, and gather his things. Afterwards he went back to his bike and started it up. He looked back at the circus, and he almost didn't want to leave. He had missed this place more than he thought. Here he didn't have to hide his talents. He didn't have two sides. At the circus he was whole, just a talented acrobat. And yet he was pleased with the life he now lived. It was exciting, challenging, and he was surrounded by people who cared for him.

Robin started his bike, and drove out onto the main road. The streetlights streaked the pavement as Robin sped up the hill to mountain's side garage entrance. Once he arrived at the hidden door he put his pass code into the security lock, and the door slid open for him. This time he didn't take the precaution of being quiet because he was sure Wally had said something to his teammates, hopefully not everything though.

When Robin walked into the main area of the cave he was immediately greeted by Wally. The redhead had a grin plastered onto his face, and he looked like he was ready to pop. And Robin was right. Wally started to speak excitedly, a million questions pouring out of his mouth and Robin couldn't understand a single one.

"Wally," Robin shouted to get his attention. "I can't understand you," Robin said tiredly.

Wally stopped short, and gave Robin an apologetic look. "Ah, sorry. I've just been dying for you to get back. How was your day?"

"It was…pretty good. I got to do things I haven't done in a while."

"Like what?" Wally asked.

Robin smiled slyly, "You'll find out. You didn't tell the team did you?"

Wally shook his head. "No. They did ask where you were, but I just told them you were hanging out in town. They have no idea."

"Okay, thanks."

"Sure, dude. But I don't get why you just don't tell them."

"I will tell them," Robin said. "All of you will see everything with your own eyes tomorrow. And with that I'm going to bed. I'm tired," Robin yawned at the thought of sleep. Wally waved him off, and Robin retreated to his bedroom.

Once he lay down on his mattress he began to think of everything. Were the choices he was making the right ones? He knew he probably shouldn't be doing any of this really. It was too risky, and he was a target no matter what persona he took on. But once he had started to indulge himself in acts of his old life, he didn't really care anymore. He wanted to perform, despite the consequences. He was tired of hiding aspects of his life from his teammates as well. They were the people he trusted most, and they trusted him. So it was time they knew everything. This was the right thing to do. Tomorrow the spotlight was on him.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so here's an update. I think the next chapter will be the last, but that could change. Thanks for all the reviews on the first chapter! I definitely wasn't expecting so many.<br>**


	3. Chapter 3

Fifteen minutes. It all started in fifteen minutes, and although Robin was great under immense pressure he was freaking out. He had been so used to performing in the shadows for so many years now that it was hard for him to willingly go out in front of crowd, no matter how much he actually wanted to do it. This was different from being a goofy kid and showing off. This was professional, serious, and…dangerous.

"Dick," a soft voice called to him. He turned and found Amelia waiting by the curtain. "We have to go up now the show's about to start."

"Okay, I'm right behind you," he jogged over to her, and they started their climb up to the tower. It created a weird sense of déjà vu for him. Although he had been practicing in the same place just the day before, the sound of the cheering crowd had not been there. Yet now there were people cheering, and laughing loudly creating the same atmosphere as the night when…well he wasn't going to think about that now.

He reached the top of the tower and stood on the back of it with Amelia, out of sight from the spectators below. Even though he was hidden he could still see the crowd below, and as he scanned it he found his team sitting at the top of the bleachers, watching the show happily. Mr. Haley came out after the elephants and horses retreated out of the center ring.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, for our next act we have a rare treat. For the first time in five years we have welcomed back one of our amazing performers. May I direct your attention to the trapeze towers above…this act is dedicated to the late Mary and John Grayson, please welcome their son, Dick Grayson!" Mr. Haley announced to the crowd. They applauded as Dick stepped into the spotlight. He smiled and waved to the people below. "And performing with him tonight is our lovely and talented acrobat, Amelia."

Amelia came forth and the two of them stood side by side on the platform. "Ready?" she whispered to Dick.

"Yeah."

"Then go," she urged.

Dick moved closer to the edge, and then looked out in front of him. Then before he could think of anything else he jumped off the platform, and latched onto one of the trapeze bars. He swung to the next one, and when he released his hands from the bar he pushed his body forward into a flip. He swung back and forth to the trapeze bars, catching them, flipping…defying gravity.

It was then Amelia's turn to come out with him. Dick had his legs hanging from the bar, and she jumped. Dick caught her and their momentum swung them to the next bar. Dick let go of Amelia's hands as she went off to perform by herself.

They were up there for what felt like hours, but was certainly only minutes. Dick was enjoying himself though. He forgot the crowd was there, and just felt the sheer happiness of being airborne flow through him, but soon the sound of Mr. Haley announcing the finale of their act caught his attention. He was snapped out of his thoughts and came back to the present, preparing himself for the last act.

Dick was currently on one end of the trapeze and Amelia was on the other. He was going to swing over to her, while doing a quadruple flip in the air, and she would catch him. They had practiced before and it worked out fine, but Dick was slowly starting to feel his nerves creep up on him again. He had never really done this act with anyone other than his parent's, and even still they had been the only people to ever complete such a feat.

"Just stay focused," he whispered to himself. "You can do this."

He was waiting on the tower for Amelia to signal that she was ready for him to come. There was the signal. He jumped once more, and this time it was phenomenal. The crowd was hushed as Dick flipped through the air. His body tucked tight in a small ball being propelled forward by some unseen force. Then he unraveled himself and prepared to grab onto Amelia, but as he came out of the flip, his mind had calculated that something was wrong.

The target…he was going to miss it! He was so close, his fingers brushed against the tips of hers and then there was nothing but air. He didn't even scream because there was no time. There was nothing to grab on to. No ropes and the tower platforms were too far away. He was falling just like his parents.

_Hold on! _

A shout in his mind rang out. It was reassuring, and feminine. His descent to the bone shattering earth halted and he landed unbroken in the center ring. He looked up and could see the stunned faces of the crowd. They crowd was mute for a moment as they looked at Dick Grayson standing in the center ring. But then they applauded, assuming it had all been a set up trick, an illusion of some kind. Dick bowed at the applause and as quick as possible left the ring.

Dick ran outside and slouched down against the tent. His body was shaking slightly. He knew he was physically okay, he had been saved after all, but he had still been afraid. He just needed a quiet minute to calm down.

"That was too close," he muttered, shaking his head.

"Dude!" Dick looked up to see Wally running toward him. "Are you okay?" He asked and crouched down next to Dick. "Why are you on the ground?"

"I don't know. I just needed to sit down for a minute…" Dick said.

"Okay," Wally replied, but he wasn't completely convinced. "Well the rest of team will be here any minute. I said I knew you and they wanted to meet you."

"Meet Dick Grayson, right?"

"Yes, I know how to keep a secret," Wally smiled. "Still don't know why you don't just tell them. We've been a team for a while now."

"I know that. We'll talk about this later," Dick said finishing his conversation as the team walked around the corner

"Hey guys!" Wally said, standing up. He helped Dick to his feet. "Dick this is Megan, Kaldur, and Connor."

"Nice to meet you," Dick shook their hands in greeting.

"You preformed excellently. Do you do it often?" Kaldur asked.

"No. This was the first time in a while. Although I do practice every day, I'm just never in front of a crowd," Dick answered.

"I see," Kaldur said, and looked like he was contemplating what to say next. "I'm sorry but are you well? You look quite pale," Kaldur asked. And it was a valid question. All color had drained from Dick's face, creating a ghostly look on his features.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks, I just had a bit of a shock. I wasn't supposed to fall in that last act, but I did and somehow I landed without breaking a bone. It's weird but I thought I heard someone shout at me and then I just stopped." Dick responded and he glanced over at Megan. She looked nervous.

"That is strange…I'm glad you're safe," She said.

Dick just started laughing and received the strangest looks from the team. It was his normal laugh, but it was a laugh they all knew well. It was just too weird. He didn't like keeping secrets from his team. He knew who they were, and playing games like this, even though they were somewhat amusing, were difficult to keep up. He wanted to tell them. He wanted to have a conversation about everything that just happened. He wanted to thoroughly thank Megan for stopping his fall…stopping his death. So maybe enough was enough…

"What's so funny?" Conner asked, finally speaking up. Perhaps it was in defense for Megan because he looked irritated. He must have thought Dick was laughing at her.

Dick's slowly stopped laughing and looked at his friends. They were all staring at him like he had gone mad, and Connor just looked mad. "Sorry, I just thought of something," he replied and took a deep breath. "Thanks Miss. M for saving my life. And thanks for coming to check on me. You're all great friends."

Megan gasped. "Wait…you're not—"

"Robin," Connor stated.

"We have a winner!" Dick said and clapped his hands together.

"But…my friend why are you telling us this now?" Kaldur asked.

"Because I realized that you needed to know. I don't want you to only know one side of my identity. I want you to know all of it. I-I could have died tonight, and I think I would regret not telling you. Besides it was strange talking to you and you guys having no clue who I am," Dick explained.

"What about Batman?" Conner asked.

"I'll explain it to him. Besides I think he already knows…" Dick said.

"Dick," a gruff voice called out. They all flinched at the familiar sound, but when they turned around it was not who they expected it to be. Instead a well dressed man was standing there, looking slightly out of place standing there with the circus tents behind him.

"Bruce, you're here!" Dick smiled and ran over to meet him.

"Of course, this was important to you. I wouldn't miss it for anything. Are you okay? What happened up there?" Bruce asked him.

"I miscalculated the jump. Amelia was off by a few inches and it messed me up, but I'm okay…I think," Dick explained. "I was scared though," the last sentence he whispered.

"You scared me. Luckily you've got someone watching over you," Bruce said.

"Yeah, are heading back to Gotham now?"

"Yes, I just got a call that there's some work I need to attend. Do you want to come back with me?" That actually meant Batman had some work to do and was asking if Robin wanted to come and help.

"If it's okay with you, I'd like to stay here and be with my friends," Dick said. He looked back at them all with stunned expressions on their faces.

"Alright. I will see you later tonight, and we can talk then. It was nice seeing you up there. You did a good job," Bruce said with a small smile.

"Thanks," Dick replied happily. Bruce clapped Dick on the shoulder pulling him into a half hug and then left them.

"Dude…Bruce Wayne," Wally said after he had walked away. "He's your…"

"He's my adoptive father," Dick said. "And well, you know…he was playing nice now. Get ready for training tomorrow. I have a feeling he's going to be taking over for Canary."

"Wait, really? He's actually the B-man?" Wally asked incredulously. Dick just gave him a sly smirk in return.

"Rob—Dick, I still don't understand? Why are you here if you actually live in Gotham City, and you are the ward of one of the richest men in America?" Kaldur questioned.

Dick looked down at the ground. "Well…it's a long story. I-it's hard for me to talk about sometimes."

Wally wrapped his arm around Dick's shoulder. "Dude, if you want to share, we'll listen. We have time." The rest of the team nodded in agreement.

Dick smiled slightly. He knew he had made the right choice today. These people here in front of him were truly worthy of the title friend, and he knew he could trust them. However hard it might be to bring up his past, right now it was his future that he was looking forward to. A future he would spend with his teammates…with his friends.

"Okay…It started when I was nine at this circus…"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, this took me forever to update and I am extremely sorry for that. I do appreciate all of the wonderful reviews on this story though. You guys are great! I'm debating on whether or not to add one more chapter after this one or to leave it as it is. I guess it's up the reviews. Let me know what you think! Thanks!<br>**


	4. Chapter 4

"Dick!" The shout came from the tent's exit. Dick stopped talking and looked up to see who was calling him. Amelia came running over to him. "Are you alright? What did you do?" Amelia asked. She looked flustered, and a little irritated.

"I'm fine. Sorry…it was a stunt…that's all," he told her.

"A stunt! Don't you think you should have told me about that? I was scared to death when you fell. Was it supposed to be a joke or some kind of prank you thought of at the last minute?" She shouted furiously. "It wasn't funny and taking into consideration of your past I thought you would have been the last person to do such a thing! It was completely disrespectful!"

Dick jerked back at that last shout. It definitely struck a nerve and it didn't go unnoticed to the team.

"Lord, your parent's didn't they fall? How dare you…"Amelia continued.

"Hey!" Conner said stepping toward the girl. She flinched and looked at Conner as if she just noticed he was standing there, and then she looked to the others surrounding Dick. They were all watching her with stern expressions. "You need to stop," Conner growled.

"Amelia," Dick started quietly. "It wasn't a prank or anything like that. I-I'm sorry," Dick whispered. "I have to go," He turned on his heal, and walked away as fast as he could. Dick heard Megan shout after him, but he ignored her. He ducked down in-between two tents and made his way to the back fields where it was completely empty.

Dick fell to the ground with a huff. He was lying on his back and held his arm over his eyes, partially to block out the sun, and partially to stop the unwanted tears from escaping. It was stupid that he had become so upset, but after everything that happened so far today he just couldn't help it. It was overwhelming, the sounds, the people, the setting…it brought back so many memories both good and bad he was losing control of his emotions.

He heard the sound of footsteps on grass, but he didn't look up. He knew his team had come out to find him. Wally must have followed him when he ran away, and waited for the others to catch up. He just listened as they got closer, and then he heard rustling and felt something touch both of his sides. His team had lain down in the grass next to him.

It was quiet for a while, only the sound of a light breeze blowing through grass could be heard, but then Wally finally broke the silence. "Do you feel like sharing your thoughts with us?"

"Yeah," Dick replied quietly. Although he had stopped crying as soon as his friends had shown up, he didn't remove his forearm from his eyes. It was easier if he couldn't see right now.

"What upset you?" Kaldur asked calmly.

"It's stupid really. Amelia yelling at me just got to me for some reason, she mentioned my parents and…and I couldn't think anymore."

"She had no right to yell at you," Conner said.

"What happened to your parents?" Wally asked.

Dick took a deep breath, calming himself. "I used to live with my parents at this circus. We would travel all over the country and they would perform, but one day when I was eight there was a man here. A crime boss called Tony Zucco threatened businesses to pay him money for protection. refused him but he said that the circus would regret not listening to his offer," Dick paused and took another shaky breath. "The night we were supposed to perform I saw a man who didn't belong to the circus crew. I tried to tell my parents but there wasn't enough time because the show was starting," Dick stopped. He hasn't had to tell this story out loud for years now. It was difficult to get the words out.

His friends waited patiently for him to continue. They were all completely caught up in what Dick was saying. "So my parents went out on the trapeze and I was waiting on the tower for my cue. My mom came towards me and I was supposed to jump and she would catch me, but then…then t-the wires came free. No one was there to catch them and my mom and dad fell to their deaths. Tony Zucco had sabotaged the trapeze."

Megan gasped lightly, and Dick could feel Wally flinch a little. Dick didn't realize the small tears had started forming in the corners of his eyes while he recounted his past. It was a hard topic to talk about because it was one of the most painful moments of his life, but he was glad to share his past with people who cared enough to listen.

"What did you do after that?" Conner asked softly.

"Uh, I was questioned by the police. I told them what I had seen and then I met Bruce for the first time. He had been in the audience and saw the whole thing. The police were supposed to take me to an orphanage, but in Gotham City they were all full. I ended up in a juvenile correction facility instead," Dick said sadly and shivered at the memory.

"But you did nothing wrong…"Megan sobbed.

"Yes, but there was nowhere else for me to go. I spent three weeks there until Bruce came and asked me to come home with him. I remember how happy I was when he asked me that. The place I had been tossed in was terrible; no one…cared about me there. I was treated like all the other criminal kids."

Dick had paused again, so Kaldur asked, "When did you become Robin?"

"Shortly after moving in with Bruce. I accidentally stumbled into the Batcave one night and saw Batman. He was working on finding Zucco, who had escaped the night my parents died. I told him that I wanted to work with him so that I could protect people from suffering the same things as me," Dick told him. He placed his arm down at his side and looked up at the sky. "And although I miss my parents, I'm happy now. I know they would be proud of the work I do, and even though they're gone I still have a family."

"Aw, Rob called us family!" Wally laughed and pulled him into a hug. "That's so sweet!" Dick started laughing with him and pretty soon they were all laughing together.

Dick pulled away still smiling. "In all seriousness though thank you... for everything. I'm sorry for not telling you before now."

"There is no need to apologize. You are entitled to keep your personal life private, but the fact that you shared this with all of us says a great deal. We appreciate that you trust us enough to tell us something so personal, and we will not betray that trust." Kaldur said. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"We will always be here for you," Megan smiled warmly and pulled Dick into an embrace.

"I know that now," Dick replied. "And it means a lot."

"Should we head back to the circus?" Wally asked after a few minutes went by.

Dick shook his head. "In a bit. I want to stay here for a little while longer."

He wasn't ready to leave quite yet because right then everything was as it should be. He had nothing more to hide from his friends, and they didn't patronize him for keeping secrets. Instead they supported him, listened to him, and cared about him and he couldn't ask for anything better.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, here's the last chapter! I hope you enjoyed reading this last chapter, and the story as a whole. Thank you so much for reading and all of the great support! <strong>


End file.
